Hydroseeding (or hydraulic mulch seeding, hydro-mulching, hydraseeding) is a planting process that uses a slurry of water, seed, mulch and fertilizer. The slurry is transported in a housing, either truck-mounted or trailer-mounted and sprayed over prepared ground in a uniform layer. Alternatively, helicopters and aircraft can be used where larger areas must be covered, such as, for example, burned wilderness areas after a fire. Hydroseeding is an alternative to the traditional process of broadcasting or sowing dry seed and promotes quick germination and inhibits soil erosion. Hydroseeding is used to seed grass on residential and commercial sites (highways/motorways etc.), golf courses, lawns and areas too large, inaccessible or unsuitable for conventional methods. Starting a lawn by hydroseeding is considerably cheaper than laying sod/turf and quicker than dry seed. It is also used to spread mixtures of wildflower and tree/shrub seeds or turf grasses for erosion control. Hydroseeding typically has similar costs to dry seeding techniques that combine seed and straw mulch. Further, the hydroseeding slurry is weed free whereas straw mulch can contain weeds. Also, hydroseeding is less than ¼ the cost of laying sod/turf.
Disadvantageously, there has never been a portable hydroseeder due to the pressure required to eject the mulch. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,285, hydroseeding is currently done by hiring a contractor that has a truck with separate housings for the water and dry ingredients (mulch, seed, fertilizer and water etc.) and an agitator pump to mix the water and dry ingredients to produce a slurry that can be spread over a large area. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,356 describes a portable seeding device that uses suction, using the venturi effect, to lift a mixture of water and seed from a jar. The constriction required to lift the seed and water out of the jar using the venturi effect is insufficient to allow mulch and fertilizer to be added to the jar. Additionally, the amount of seed, mulch, fertilizer and water required to cover at least one square foot area would make the jar extremely large and unwieldy.
Therefore, there is a need for a hydroseeder that is economical, efficient, portable and environmentally friendly that overcomes the problems of the prior art.